We're helping enterprises become more autonomous with AI: TechM’s Kunal Purohit

IT services major, Tech Mahindra, is betting on emerging technologies such as generative artificial intelligence (AI), quantum computing, metaverse and more, to tap into new growth opportunities across customer industries. In an interview with TechCircle, Kunal Purohit, chief digital services officer (CDSO) at Tech Mahindra, talks about the fundamental shifts happening in the enterprise technology space, how the company's recent leadership realignment has provided an impetus for growth and success, as well as TechM's plans for the coming months. Edited excerpts: 

What shifts do you think are occurring in the enterprise technology space, and how is Tech Mahindra keeping up with these changes?
   
The biggest shift in the technology marketplace in the last decade has been the transition from traditional operating models to digital operating models with increased digitalisation. The changes over the past two to three years have been even more significant, with companies moving towards a cognitive digital model that incorporates data and AI. The focus is on improving customer service, sales, outreach, and staying ahead in the technology ecosystem.   

Tech Mahindra has been working in the areas of cognitive AI to help businesses solve their key technology challenges. We leverage technologies like computer vision, natural language processing (NLP), AI, and machine learning (ML) to achieve long-term business outcomes such as improved revenue, increased efficiency, reduced risk, enhanced customer experience, and greater contribution to society.   
  
With the changes in the broader business and technology landscape, Tech Mahindra has also undergone changes in its top management. Has this brought about any changes in your short and long-term digital goals?   
  
The leadership realignment at Tech Mahindra has provided incremental impetus. While C.P. Gurnani has set the momentum, the team led by Mohit Joshi (new MD and CEO) and Atul Soneja, Chief Operating Officer, have sharpened their focus in strategic areas to stay relevant and continue driving success. In response to the macro-economic conditions, consumers are spending more on emerging areas such as AI, generative AI, cybersecurity, and others. Tech Mahindra is ensuring that our engineers and consultants are highly specialised. We recently opened an innovation centre in Finland to further expand our presence and increase headcount. We will continue to provide digital business transformation services and solutions in areas such as quantum computing, generative AI, and the metaverse, tapping into new opportunities in research and development (R&D) across customer industries.   
  
Speaking of technologies like generative AI, what potential do you see in this space? And how are you using this technology to solve complex business challenges?   
  
Previously, AI was used to automate processes and improve operations. However, there has been a noticeable shift towards the optimisation of large language models like GPT, with AI now being used for creative and generative purposes. Tech Mahindra's Email AmplifAIer, for example, harnesses the power of generative AI to provide unified visualisation and automation techniques. This technology enables a human-in-the-loop philosophy to improve customer experience in a responsible manner. The use of generative AI has resulted in a 25%-30% increase in productivity and significant cost savings for the company. Tech Mahindra was the first to launch a generative AI studio and continues to use it internally to help enterprises make informed decisions and achieve digitised efficiency. We are increasing our focus on sectors like BFSI, healthcare, and retail across different regions. We will also invest in the learning and development of employees to create a future-proof and resilient talent pool.     
What kind of tech talent will you be recruiting in the next year?   
  
Tech hiring has slowed down in recent quarters, but Tech Mahindra remains committed to re-skilling and upskilling its workforce to create a future-proof talent pool. The company will continue investing in learning tools and platforms to achieve this goal. In the June 2023 quarter, the company trained and upskilled around 9,000 employees in generative AI and other AI platforms. With an increased focus on AI, quantum computing, and the metaverse, we are looking for the right candidates in these areas as well.   
  
What kind of enterprise metaverse projects are you working on? Do you anticipate increased demand from consumers for these projects in the future?   
  
The enterprise metaverse is here to stay, and Tech Mahindra is experiencing increased demand for metaverse and other futuristic projects across various sectors, including banking, financial services, manufacturing, telecom, media, entertainment, healthcare, and life sciences. We are helping clients create immersive, interconnected, and intelligent design and digital experiences based on the metaverse. In the future, projects related to the metaverse, AI, AR/VR, and quantum computing will attract more deals depending on client priorities. Currently, clients are focused on cost transformation, moving towards the cloud, and enhancing customer experience.  
  
What are your key focus areas in the next 12 to 18 months?   

Our primary focus is helping enterprises become more autonomous through the development of AI technologies, including generative AI. Secondly, we are utilising digital twin and other emerging technologies to establish secure industry clouds. This means building industry-specific solutions on the cloud that are secure. The third area of focus is enabling our customers to monetise their offerings by creating marketplaces. Internally, data monetisation is on the rise, and we are able to facilitate this through our data engineering, data management, and data governance practices.   

Our momentum in agile DevOps, human-centered design, and our partner ecosystem too will continue to grow in the coming months. We will also continue to form partnerships with hyperscalers to drive greater value and innovation for enterprises.